MATCH RESULT: Durham won by 55 runs.
Durham 247-8, Derbyshire 192 all out. For full scorecard click HERE
Durham handed themselves a Royal London One-Day Cup lifeline with a sterling 55-run victory over Derbyshire.
Durham now have nine points in Group A – the same total which sent them through to the last eight knock-out stages last season – but all will now depend on Tuesday’s (August 18) clash between Yorkshire and Northamptonshire at Headingley.
If Northants lose, Durham are through to the quarter-finals – that much is clear. However, if Northants win by a big enough margin at Leeds that could also send Durham into the last eight.
At present, Yorkshire’s run rate is .536, while Durham’s stands at .402 – therefore Durham require a swing of just .135 – and that would be sufficient for them to qualify.
Whatever happens at Headingley, at least Durham now have a chance of defending the trophy they won at Lord’s last September.
At 182-8 it looked as though Mark Stoneman’s side would be out, but Chris Rushworth and Gordon Muchall enjoyed a 65-run unbeaten eighth wicket partnership – a one-day record for the county – which ultimately proved the difference.
The pair took the score to 247 off 50 overs and that was more than enough, with John Hastings taking 4-24 and Rushworth conceding a miserly 33 from his nine overs. Paul Collingwood also bowled brilliantly, halting Derbyshire’s progress with ten overs for just 37 runs and one wicket.
Rushworth said: “We know we have not been playing that well lately so to bounce back with a really strong win like that is great. It means we still have a chance of going through and hopefully the result at Leeds will be enough for us to qualify.
“I enjoyed batting. I had a bit of luck but I got a few good connections on the ball and hit two sixes, which was a great feeling. When I went out there I just wanted to hang about and make sure we used up our overs. As the partnership developed it got better and better for us and we knew 247 was a pretty good score. We bowled well and did it, we got the win. I now just hope it is sufficient.”
Derbyshire skipper Wes Durston won the toss and elected to field, hoping his opening bowlers could make some early inroads into the Durham line-up, which included Michael Richardson and Graham Onions, making their first one-day appearances of the season for the county.
It was not to be as Stoneman and Phil Mustard got off to a flier, with the Durham captain in particular looking in fine form. Stoneman had clattered a number of bludgeoning shots to the boundary but with the score on 44 he tried to take advantage of a short length ball from Shiv Thakor and fell to a magnificent catch by Billy Godleman at extra cover. It was harsh on Stoneman as he had hit the ball like a laser, but the Derbyshire fielder pulled off a stunning take.
If that was a fine example of fielding, the visitors soon topped it. Mustard steered a beautifully timed cut to point, where Mark Footitt pulled off a terrific stop, before hitting the stumps from 30 yards with Scott Borthwick yards out of his crease. Neither side could scarcely believe it.
Bad quickly became worse for Durham as Mustard holed out to extra cover off Durston, making the score 69-3.
Richardson and Collingwood then went about trying to get the innings back on track and the pair added 57 at a decent lick. Just as Collingwood looked to be gaining a measure of control against the visitors’ attack, leg spinner Matt Critchley got one to turn sharply and the Durham all-rounder was stumped.
At 126-4 Durham needed a degree of stability but yet again they were undone by another stunning piece of fielding. Wayne Madsen caught Calum MacLeod way out of his crease as his long range throw crashed into the stumps leaving Durham 128-5.
The mix-ups continued as Ryan Pringle was run out for 10, then shortly afterwards Richardson played onto his stumps off Ben Cotton following a battling knock of 56.
With Durham 182-8 after John Hastings chipped a drive back to Mark Footitt it looked as though the home side might struggle to reach 200, only for Rushworth and Muchall to produce an inspirational 65-run unbeaten partnership.
It was the highest 9th wicket partnership for Durham ever in ‘List A’ matches, beating the previous best of 62 set by Graeme Bridge and Mark Davies at Grace Road against Leicestershire in 2002.
In stark contrast to their earlier fielding, between the 40th and 49th overs Derbyshire somehow contrived to drop six catches, as Rushworth and Muchall went on the rampage. The last ten overs, even with so many wickets down, garnered 66 precious runs and gave the Durham attack a challenging total to defend.
Rushworth’s 38 not out, including two sixes, was easily his best score in List A matches, while Muchall contributed an invaluable 43 not out, taking the score from 182-8 to 247-8 after 50 overs.
Durham’s bowlers were clearly buoyed by the late blows as Onions charged in at a brisk pace for his first one-day start in a year. In his fifth over Onions produced a corker to remove Godleman’s middle stump, leaving the visitors 33-1.
Tillakaratne Dilshan and Durston led something approaching charmed lives until the Sri Lankan legend missed a peach of a cutter off Hastings, making it 68-2. That quickly became 68-3 as Durston nibbled at Borthwick to Collingwood at first slip. That catch meant Collingwood joined an impressive list of just three other players who have scored 10,000 runs in one-day cricket, taken 25 wickets and 200 catches – the others namely Carl Hooper, Graham Gooch and Viv Richards.
Collingwood then bowled a maiden with his first over before Thakor glanced Hastings down the leg side to wicket keeper Mustard, leaving Derbyshire 71-4.
Wayne Madsen, as he has done so often in the past, proved to be a redoubtable fighter. He hoisted Onions for two fours in an over and glanced his way to a fifty off just 62 balls. At the other end Scott Elstone stuck around until he lofted Collingwood to Muchall for 13, with the score at 124.
Madsen was then joined by Alex Hughes and the pair moved the score past the 150-mark, with Derbyshire needing around seven an over to win. Hughes took his frustration out with a wild swing off Collingwood and was comprehensively bowled for 16, then shortly afterwards a mix-up between Madsen and keeper Tom Poynton left the latter stranded and he was run out for 2, leaving the score 174-7.
The crucial scalp for Durham was still Madsen, who just failed to get a touch on a good length Hastings ball only to find a knick from the Australian’s next delivery before receiving a standing ovation from the pavilion following his 77.
Derbyshire required 60 runs off the last 30 balls when Critchley was joined by Cotton. The pair lasted a couple of overs before Critchley heaved Hastings to Borthwick at deep mid wicket, who pouched the catch, making it 190-9.
The last pair only put on two runs before Footitt took a huge swipe at Borthwick and was stumped by Mustard, with Derbyshire losing by 55 runs.
Hastings said: “It’s always nice to get some wickets but it’s even nicer when you win the game. I played my part, I think everyone did.
“Bunny Onions did a great job into the wind, Rushy was brilliant, Colly did ten straight, which was great for an old bloke.”